132,000 People Living with HIV/AIDS in Pakistan: Survey
The Express Tribune, Pakistan, 9/30/2017
There are currently around 132,000 people living with HIV and AIDS in Pakistan, a staggering increase of 39,000 in comparison with 2016’s figure. These figures have been disclosed in a recently-concluded nationwide survey, in which some 60 teams visited 20 cities nationwide and collected data from 5,000 locations. According to the survey, Pakistan’s most populous province, Punjab, has the highest number of people living with HIV and AIDS – 60,000. There are up to 52,000 cases in Sindh and 11,000 in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, while three cases were reported in Balochistan. In the federal capital Islamabad, there are 6,000 registered people living with HIV and AIDS.
More Reports of Sexual Violence against Rohingya, Says UN Agency
The Indian Express, India, 9/28/2017
The head of the U.N.’s migration agency, International Organisation for Migration, warned on September 27 about increasing reports of sexual violence directed at Rohingya Muslims, who have been fleeing violence in Myanmar in recent weeks. IOM said rape, sexual assault, domestic violence, child marriage and other forms of gender-based violence have been identified. It did not specify who was responsible for the violence. An agency statement said IOM doctors have treated dozens of women who experienced ‘violent sexual assault’ since August, but that the known cases likely represent only a ‘small portion’ of actual cases.
Saudi Arabia Driving Ban on Women to Be Lifted
BBC News, Saudi Arabia, 9/27/2017
Saudi Arabia's King Salman has issued a decree allowing women to drive for the first time, to the joy of activists. The Gulf kingdom is the only country in the world that bans women from driving. Until now, only men were allowed licences and women who drove in public risked being arrested and fined. Praise for the move has been pouring in from inside the Saudi kingdom, as well as around the world. The country's US ambassador, Prince Khaled bin Salman, confirmed that women would not have to get male permission to take driving lessons, and would be able to drive anywhere they liked.
‘Feeble No May Mean Yes’: Peepli Live Co-Director Mahmood Farooqui Acquitted of Rape
Hindustan Times - New Delhi, India, 9/26/2017
The Delhi high court on September 25 acquitted Peepli Live co-director Mahmood Farooqui of raping a US citizen, setting aside a lower court verdict sentencing him to seven years in jail. The court, in its judgment, said there were doubts whether such an incident took place in the manner alleged by the woman concerned. Justice Ashutosh Kumar further recorded that the appellant ‘had no idea that the prosecutrix was unwilling, and there are instances when a feeble ‘no’ on the part of a woman may mean ‘yes’ during the course of a sexual act’. The high court also refused to buy the woman’s argument that she had given in to Farooqui’s sexual advances under fear.
Hong Kong Gay Rights: British Lesbian Wins Spousal Visa Case
BBC News, Hong Kong, 9/25/2017
Hong Kong's court of appeal has ruled that a British lesbian who moved to the territory with her partner should be granted a dependent visa. The visa, usually given to the husbands and wives of foreigners working in Hong Kong, was denied because she was not considered a spouse, the woman said. Same-sex marriage is banned in the territory although discrimination based on sexual orientation is illegal. Campaigners say this is a landmark case that could lead to greater equality. In a unanimous ruling by three judges, the Court of Appeal said immigration authorities had ‘failed to justify the indirect discrimination on account of sexual orientation that QT suffers’.
Seven Arrested in Egypt after Raising Rainbow Flag at Concert
Reuters - Cairo, Egypt, 9/25/2017
Egyptian police arrested seven people on September 25 after they were seen raising a rainbow flag at a concert, security sources said, in a rare public show of support for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights in the conservative Muslim country. Security sources said the seven were arrested for ‘promoting sexual deviancy,’ a euphemism in Egypt for homosexuality, after they were seen on camera raising the rainbow flag at a Mashrou’ Leila concert, a popular Lebanese alternative rock band whose lead singer is openly gay. The public prosecutor has not yet announced a decision on whether formal charges will be filed and a case brought to court.
Tunisia Bans Forced Anal Examinations on People Suspected of Being Gay
Al Bawaba, Tunisia, 9/24/2017
Tunisia has pledged to stop forcing people suspected of being gay to undergo anal examinations. Sodomy is still punishable by jail in the North African country, but its minister for human rights said the invasive practice used to determine sexual orientation will now be stopped. Mehdi Ben Gharbia said state authorities carry out the tests but stressed 'these exams can no longer be imposed by force, physical or moral, or without the consent of the person concerned'. He did not, however, give a specific date for the change to be implemented. Foreign and local rights groups have condemned the practice of forced anal exams as 'cruel' and 'inhuman'.
Minister Launches Mobile App to Promote Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health
The Himalayan Times - Kathmandu, Nepal, 9/23/2017
Health Minister Girirajmani Pokharel has launched an Android-based mobile application meant for adolescent girls and boys in Nepal. The mobile app, Khulduli, aims at promoting sexual and reproductive health and rights of adolescents in Nepal by empowering them with the right information about their health and helping them adopt a healthy lifestyle. The app is available in Nepali language and can be downloaded via the Android’s Play Store, said Advocacy and Communication Officer of UNFPA Santosh Chhetri, adding that the app can also be used by adolescents without any internet connection once they download it.
Bangladesh to Provide Birth Control Kits to Rohingya Refugees after Camp Sees 200 Deliveries in a Month
Outlook, Bangladesh, 9/22/2017
Bangladesh will launch a birth control campaign among the Rohingya Muslims amid fears that the refugee population could rise sharply with the influx of the ethnic minority Myanmar nationals, a minister said on September 21. Plans are being chalked up to motivate the Rohingyas to keep their family size small alongside providing them with kits containing birth control pills and other contraceptives also to prevent outbreak of Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD), officials said. UNICEF estimates suggest an ‘unprecedented’ 60 per cent of new refugees in Bangladesh are children while Rohingya girls are exposed to risks of sexual violence and early marriage.
China Lifts 10-Year Travel Ban on Activist Who Organised Campaign against Sexual Harassment
Straits Times - Beijing, China, 9/21/2017
China has lifted a 10-year travel ban on a feminist activist who was jailed for more than a month in 2015 after organising a campaign against sexual harassment. Ms Wu Rongrong plans to fly to Hong Kong on September 24 to pursue a master's degree in law. The 32-year-old said she felt ‘prepared to fight’ after receiving notice from security authorities that she would not be allowed to leave the mainland for a decade. The social worker was taken into custody along with four other activists shortly before International Women's Day in 2015 as they were preparing to hand out stickers about sexual harassment on public transport.
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